This invention is directed to a method of treating a mammal infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1, which comprises administering to such mammals a therapeutically effective amount of a dipeptide compound represented by the formula I ##STR2## or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or ester thereof or a stereochemical isomer thereof.
The dipeptide compound of formula I is disclosed by R. Cooper et al. in The Journal of Antibiotics, 1988, Vol. 41 (No. 1 ), pp 13-19, to be an antifungal compound which was produced by fermentation of the microorganism Micromonospora sp.
The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 ("HIV-1") is now generally considered to be the, cause of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ("AIDS"). See the editorial by D. Baltimore and M. B. Feinberg in The New England Journal of Medicine, 1989, Vol. 321 (No. 24), pp 1673-1675. The human immunodeficiency virus type 2 ("HIV-2") is a cause of AIDS in West Africa.
People infected with HIV-1, HIV-2, AIDS and AIDS-Related Complex ("ARC") are being treated with various anti-HIV agents such as zidovudine (AZT), 2'-3'-dideoxycytidine (DDC), 2',3'-dideoxyinosine (DDI) and certain tetrahydro-imidazo[4,5,1-jk][1,4]-benzodiazepin-2(1H)-one and-thione ("TIBO") derivatives. However, the AZT, DDC and DDI anti-HIV agents are relative highly cytotoxic to human lymphocytes uninfected by HIV-1 (i.e., have a relatively low margin of safety). The synthesis of the TIBO compounds are complex, time-consuming and provide only small amounts of these compounds.
There is still a need for an anti-HIV-1 agent which is not highly cytotoxic and can be synthesized simply and in high yield.